December 29, 2012

Nigerian native Sunny Odogwu, 6-8 and listed by various websites as anywhere from 300 to 315 pounds, told recruiting services on Friday that he has committed to coach Al Golden and the University of Miami.

An offensive tackle, Odogwu played last season at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va. He arrived in the United States when he was 16, and first played basketball at Huntington Prep in West Virginia.

Odogwu told CaneSport, which first reported his commitment, that he expects to arrive on campus in January to be there in time for spring practice.

"His willingness to want to learn is without comparison, St. Frances Academy (Maryland) football coach Messay Hailemariam told the Clarion-Ledger. "I've never seen anything like it. I've never seen the hunger I've seen in him. When you look at him he absolutely passes the eye test, but his desire to work actually exceeds that.''

If he ends up excelling at tackle, what a coup for the Hurricanes. But he's obviously raw. His story sounds amazing.

After transferring from Huntington Prep to Baltimore St. Frances, he played football for the first time there as a senior.

"I came to Maryland and began playing football because people said I was too aggressive for basketball,'' Odogwu told CaneSport. "I love football. You can hit and nobody will call fouls, so it's awesome.''

According to CaneSport, Odogwu grew up in Africa "sharing a 12x12 room with 10 family members. With one bed pushed up against a wall for his parents, there was no room for him to sleep inside. So he'd take a wooden mat, lay it outside the front door and go to sleep.''